In this Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 file photo, Nikki Haley waves after taking the oath as governor of South Carolina, in Columbia, SC. Haley is joined at the podium by her husband Michael. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, File)

(Newser)
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The husband of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will soon head off to Afghanistan for a year's deployment. It appears to be the first time a governor's spouse has been sent to a combat zone as a member of the National Guard, McClatchy reports. South Carolina National Guard Lieutenant Michael Haley is set to join up to 200 other Guard members "to provide training and advice to Afghan universities, provincial ministries, and local farmers" in the field of agribusiness, the Army says.

"When your family gets the call, you have to respond," Gov. Haley says. "Do you worry? Yes, of course, you worry. It's like what I tell all my military spouses when I speak to other deployments: All needs to be well on the home front." Her husband will train for the rest of the year, departing in January 2013 and returning in December.